LONDON, Jan 14, 2022 (AFP) – Britain’s domestic intelligence agency MI5 has warned lawmakers on Thursday that Chinese agents in parliament were “carrying out political interference”.
The Office of the Speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, confirmed that she had sent an email to lawmakers informing them of the case.
“The speaker takes the security and democratic process of the delegates very seriously, for which he issued this announcement in consultation with the security services,” Hoyle’s spokesman said.
The Chinese embassy in London has denied the allegations and said there was no need to “buy influence in any foreign parliament.”
“We strongly oppose the practice of denigrating and threatening the Chinese community in the UK,” he said.
The report identified the suspect as Christine Lee, who “carried out political interference on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Labor Department.”
The London-based lawyer is said to have donated £ 200,000 ($ 275,000, € 239,000) to Labor MP Barry Gardiner and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to his party.
Former Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May – the party accused of receiving millions of pounds from Russian donors – has presented the League with an award in 2019 in recognition of her contribution to Sino-UK relations.
Lee photographed separately with Maine’s pioneer, Conservative David Cameron, and former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn at an event in 2015.
According to Hoyle, “this has facilitated financial donations to delegates and activists working on behalf of foreigners based in Hong Kong and China.” “It was done in secret to cover up the appearance of the charges.”
Following MI5’s warning of Lee’s actions, former Conservative leader Ian Duncan Smith, who was sharply critical of Beijing, called for stronger action.
Last year, China imposed sanctions on 10 people and organizations in Britain, including Duncan Smith, for spreading “lies and misinformation” about human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region (northwest China).
Lee was not detained or deported, but he was barred from parliament, he said.
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